Introduction To The Anthology Of Congregational Song

The anthology of songs for each season of the Christian year is a compilation of traditional hymns, gospel songs, popular hymns, and Scripture choruses chosen for their suitability for the seven major celebrations of the church year: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, and Pentecost. (You will find a listing of songs under each particular season in Volume 5. See chapters 5, 9, 14, 17, and 26 in particular. ) The selections represent an interdenominational spread, and the purpose of the anthology is to help music leaders in choices of seasonal materials where presence of scriptural allusion is also at hand. The church calendar traditionally centers around two primary events in Christ's earthly ministry: his resurrection and his nativity. Since the apostle Paul emphasizes that without the Savior's resurrection from the dead the believer's faith is logically futile (1 Cor. 15:17), value of the Nativity naturally hinges on the validity of the Resurrection and thereby pa…